Coast Guard rescues man in incredibly frigid temperatures

RUMSON — The Coast Guard rescued a man stranded on a frigid island in the Navesink River on Monday morning.

The 21-year-old man's small boat broke down west of Bartley Island and he notified Rumson Police around 9:40 a.m., according to the Coast Guard, which dispatched a 29-foot response boat and arrived about 30 minutes later. Two boat crew members waded through shallow water and safely brought the man aboard the Coast Guard boat.

According to Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow, the air temperature was 7 degrees with a wind of 30 mph making for a wind chill of -12. The water temperature was 34.

“Cold water and below-freezing temperatures can complicate rescues like this and turn a bad situation to worse very fast,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Rich Sansone, search and rescue coordinator for Coast Guard Sector New York. “Coast Guard crews are ready and standing the watch to assist and prevent cases like this from becoming worse.”

The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, not the Department of Defense, and is working without pay during the government shutdown. President Donald Trump has signed legislation that guarantees backpay for all who worked during the shutdown.